Marking 20 years after Guitar Hero hit the market across the Atlantic, offering players everywhere the tools to feel like a rock star. Not literally, but try convincing someone who's mastered the epic four-minute instrumental break before a packed crowd of friends.
Created by the developers, Guitar Hero gave players a plastic guitar peripheral to follow on-screen cues scrolling down the screen in time with a song. Each riff corresponded to specific notes, producing the feel of an authentic live show.
The studio previously experimented in the music genre before partnering with the publisher, later acquired by the gaming giant during the mid-2000s. Together, they established the groundwork for an unlikely massively profitable franchise which made a significant impact on numerous musicians included, showcasing classic groups to millions of younger players.
Michael Dornbrook, former COO of Harmonix, recalls the early financial challenges of licensing the recordings – despite the fact initial releases primarily featured cover versions.
“We rerecorded all the music since the cost prohibitive,” he says. “Even with the necessary permissions alone, it proved nearly impossible. We couldn’t get acts such as legendary groups – RedOctane was operating on a shoestring budget, and our team was pretty convinced it would fail. However, when the game became a hit, and record sales airtime were going up, all artists desired to participate.”
He continues: “One of the amazing things was the number of mothers and fathers reached out and thanked us for exposing their kids to the music they loved. It became a multigenerational thing.”
Classic Rock Finds a New Audience
Northern Irish group the Answer had Never Too Late in the 2008 release the popular installment. Lead musician the artist remembers the way the game revived classic rock back into vogue: “The game offered a bigger, younger audience. Typically such music was seen as music that was past it, however once it got included in the game and teenagers were finding it, abruptly it became trendy. That legitimised the genre, and got rid of the outdated tag. It gave our catalog a new life.”
In 2008, the band's first record remained not available in the US, meaning Guitar Hero was a key medium of discovery for the group during their a North American tour supporting the rock giants. “Their crew had on the song on the tour bus, and some of them recognized us thanks to the game,” he notes.
Rock’s Heavyweight Titles Enduring Impact
Music's biggest acts soon capitalised on the game's success, with Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen starring in specialized spin-off titles centered around each band’s catalogue and related lore, imagery and rock’n’roll mythology. For example, the Aerosmith edition, reportedly earned the group more money than any of their studio albums. It moved more than 500,000 units upon release, while sales of Aerosmith’s music rose significantly at a time when the music business faced decline.
The series still motivates nimble-fingered fanaticism among its fans. Earlier this year, an online personality completed a remarkable feat of DragonForce’s the challenging track – a notoriously difficult power-metal song made popular by Guitar Hero – using a fan-made version, a no-cost alternative with almost identical gameplay and extensive personalization features. The song is difficult even in the hardest setting, not to mention played at double speed while hitting every one of its near 4,000 notes. They stated it took nine months of practice.
“The game offers a, imaginary experience. If you play Call of Duty, that doesn’t mean you ought to pick up a real gun and go to war,” notes musician Herman Li.
The band had already wrapped up a successful tour before their hit appeared on Guitar Hero III, but Li says it made them a household name. “I remember the record label calling to tell me that our selling albums rapidly,” he shares. “It exploded when we next toured, and we performed just before top acts at the event.”
In fact, the band's visibility from Guitar Hero was so immense that it risked eclipsing all other accomplishments. Last year, the track was used in promotional material for a major film. “Previously I felt otherwise, but now I accept it,” Li says. “If you only hear a single track, that's fine – each person has their own path in music and I’m glad we’ve been part of people’s lives”.
Enduring Impact from the Plastic Guitar
Top-tier promotion, be it for automobiles, clothes or games, goes further mere transactions – it evokes a longing. Was the game able to harness this? “Precisely what we were trying to create,” Dornbrook says. “The excitement of being a music icon in the spotlight. Since the beginning, the creators believed there’s an instinctive urge to make music, and their goal was to leverage innovation to enable everyone to do it”.
The majority installments came out in just a half-decade between 2005 and 2010, including spin-offs such as the DJ version, complete with a turntable controller, and the band-focused game. Subsequently, corporate focus in plastic instruments died down, except for a brief comeback in 2015.
Titles such as the fan project and newer releases have kept the scene active, with set to be something from the original publisher in development. Recently formed developers has begun production on its debut rhythm-based title. The initial creators are participating as special advisers. Are gamers ready to embrace another game following Guitar Hero?
“We thought those games might become like Madden where you can releases,” he remarks. “With abundant new music it could remain perennially popular, so I’ve always been optimistic. It's entirely possible for it to persist for future fans.”
